Ice-T may be an actor to today’s generation but before entering Hollywood, he was a gangster and pimp that was saved by rap music. Before beefing with Soulja Boy, making headlines with Coco and starring as a police officer, Ice-T was doing records like “Cop Killer” and “Colors.”

In his directorial debut, The Art Of Rap, the Law & Order star creates a film that deals with the words instead of the instrumentation, the emceeing aspect of hip-hop and the message that has been diluted over the years.

Ice has rounded up a host of stars from all over the hip-hop timeline, from innovators Melle Mel, Chuck D and Grandmaster Caz to current high-rollers Jay-Z and Kanye West, to gain perspective and discuss how rap has evolved.

Kool Keith, Smooth the Hustler, Trigga the Gambler, Immortal Technique and a list of other emcees talk about the art that has strayed far from its roots.

“The hip-hop scene became so pop.” Ice-T said. “I’m gonna do a movie about real rappers and what inspired us. Maybe that’ll hit a reset button on the game and let these kids know it’s not just about a pop record. Rap can do a lot.”